co-packing

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

Co-Packing

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

Your opportunities for profit-producing significantly increase when you select Monterey Bay Spice Company for your Co-Packing. We specialize in doing lower volume tea-bagging production runs. As a direct importer of an extensive selection of herbs, we are able to offer extremely competitive pricing for raw materials.

Co-Packing is used by restaurants, gourmet stores, manufacturers, supermarket chains, and many others. Co-Packing can provide a low-cost way to satisfy your existing markets, explore new markets, or to produce new products and packaging, that can help you to stay competitive in the marketplace of today.
Monterey Bay Spice Company's Co-Packing capacities provide practical and affordable offerings for expanding existing brands, or launching new brands, flavors, or formulas.

We Co-Pack products to your required specifications. We offer custom formulation, private labeling options, with a knowledgeable and friendly customer service staff. Monterey Bay Spice Company is a Certified Organic Processor.
We utilize confidentiality agreements, securely protecting your ingredient lists and any "trade secrets". We quote you the estimated costs, establish a time frame for production, and create a service contract with you. We produce your formulas, and can procure commercially available ingredients. We provide preliminary price quotes for production, and finalize all pricing with you. Products are completed and shipped to you. Your market and consumers reap the benefits!

Tea Bag Styles

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

pillow style tea bags

Pillow style tea bags are approximately 2.5 x 2.5 in in size and do
not include a string or a tag. Minimum tea bag run for pillow style tea
bags is 300 lbs of tea. This will make approximately 66,000 (2 g) tea bags.

Please note that the minimum is for one flavor of tea only. We are
unable to combine several different tea flavors to meet the minimum of 300
lbs.

The charge for making the tea bags is $17.00 per 1,000 tea bags.†

pillow style
tea bags

dimensions

2.5 x 2.5 in(63.5 x 63.5mm)

shape

square

includes string/tag

NO

includes overwrapping

NO

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

approx 2g of tea

minimum run

300 lbs of tea / 66,000 tea bags

cost

$17 / 1000 tea bags

cost per tea bag

1.7¢ each

† Please note: This charge does not include any further packaging that might be required by
your particular project. This also does not include the tea. The tea can
either be purchased from Monterey Bay Spice Company or the tea can be
supplied by the customer.

tea bags with string and tag

The finished size of our tea bags with a string and tag are
slightly smaller in size as compared to our pillow style tea bags. Our
default tea tag is blank white. (If you are interested in colored tags
or tea tags with printed logos please refer to our "packaging" heading
at left for more information.) We do NOT use staples to attach the
string to the bag.

The minimum size run for producing tea bags with string and tag is 300 pounds of
tea or around 66,000 tea bags.

The charge for producing these tea bags is $19.00 per 1,000 tea bags.†

tea bags
with string and tag

dimensions

1.97 x 2.36 in(50 x 60 mm)

shape

square

includes string/tag

YES

includes overwrapping

NO

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

approx 2g of tea

minimum run

300 lbs of tea / 66,000 tea bags

cost

$19 / 1000 tea bags

cost per tea bag

1.9¢ each

† Please note: This charge does not include any further packaging that might be required by
your particular project. This also does not include the tea. The tea can
either be purchased from Monterey Bay Spice Company or the tea can be
supplied by the customer.

tea bags with overwrap

Individual overwrap tea bags are more expensive to produce than the simple pillow style
tea bag, however the individual overwrap can help lengthen the shelf life of your tea and add a professional element to your line.

The finished size of the overwrap tea bag we offer is 70 x 80mm. These tea bags include both a string and tag. No staples are used.

The minimum run size for individual overwrap tea bags is 300 lbs of tea. This will make approximately 66,000 (2 g) tea bags.

The charge to produce this style of tea bags is $38.00 per 1,000 tea
bags†, not including the cost of the overwrap material (also called
film). The clear overwrap material we have in house is $40 per 1,000 tea
bags.

If a custom overwrap is desired it will be the customer's
responsibility to provide Monterey Bay Spice Co. with the final printed
overwrap/film. To learn more about acquiring custom overwrap (resources, potential pricing, etc) please refer to our "packaging"
heading at left for more information.

tea bags
with overwrap

dimensions

2.75 x 3.15 in(70 x 80 mm)

shape

square

includes string/tag

YES

includes overwrapping

YES

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

approx 2g of tea

minimum run

300 lbs of tea / 66,000 tea bags

cost

$38 / 1000 tea bags

cost per tea bag

3.8¢ each

cost forclear overwrap/film

$40 / 1000 tea bags

† Please note: This charge does not include any further packaging that might be required by
your particular project. This also does not include the tea. The tea can
either be purchased from Monterey Bay Spice Company or the tea can be
supplied by the customer.

large tea bags

We also manufacture large style tea bags which great for teapot use or for steeping larger botanicals.

The finished size of our large tea bags is approximately 4 x 5 in. They can hold 1-3 oz of tea—sometimes more
depending on the density of the tea (or botanical) being used. These tea bags can be filled
with herbs as well as teas. Some of the items we have packed into these tea bags
in the past include
black teas,
green teas,
lavender buds,
chamomile flowers,
various bath herbs,
mulling spices, and bath salts.

Our minimum run size for these tea bags is 4,000. The charge is $0.16 each.† Volume discounts apply at
runs above 50,000.

large
tea bags

dimensions

approx 4 x 5 in(101.6 x 127 mm)

shape

rectangle

includes string/tag

NO

includes overwrapping

NO

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

approx 1-3 oz of botanicals

minimum run

XX lbs of botanicals / 6000 tea bags

cost

$960 / 6000 tea bags

cost per tea bag

$0.16 each*

*volume discounts apply

† Please note: This charge does not include any further packaging that might be required by
your particular project. This also does not include the filler (tea/botanical). This filler can
either be purchased from Monterey Bay Spice Company or can be
supplied by the customer.

empty tea bags - DIY

Empty tea bags are great for the “do it yourselfer”. These are offered on our
website in two sizes, including a small size (2.5 x
2.5 in) or a large size (4 x 5 in). They are sold in either packs of 50 or 5,000.

If one of these sizes does not suit your needs we can run a custom size. The
minimum run size for a custom order is 100,000 tea bags.

The price will depend on the actual size and quantity.†

empty
tea bags
large & small

small size

dimensions

2.5 x 2.5 in(63.5 x 63.5mm)

shape

square

includes string/tag

NO

includes overwrapping

NO

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

minimum run

100,000 orsold in pre-made packsof 50 or 5,000

cost

TBD

large size

dimensions

4 x 5 in(101.6 x 127 mm)

shape

rectangle

includes string/tag

NO

includes overwrapping

NO

overwrap/film provided

NO

includes tea

NO

each bag holds

minimum run

100,000 orsold in pre-made packsof 50 or 5,000

cost

TBD

† Please note: This charge does not include any further packaging that might be required by
your particular project. This also does not include the filler (tea/botanical). This filler can
either be purchased from Monterey Bay Spice Company or can be
supplied by the customer.

Processing

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

The size of the tea provided must be a tea bag's "cut size".

A tea bag cut size is 1-3 millimeters. If the pieces of tea are smaller than this it will result in very
dusty tea bags. If the pieces of tea are much larger than this the tea bag will have non-uniform weights because the tea will not run
properly in our tea machines. We cannot run powder through the tea machines.

Our large style tea bags can accept tea up to ½ inch in size.

milling & sizing

If the tea is not the correct size Monterey Bay Spice Company can mill and size
the tea for you.

The minimum run size for milling is 150 pounds. The charge to mill 150 pounds is $0.80/pound.

It is important to note that when 150 pounds of tea is milled to a desired size there will be waste as well as non-usable
material. As an example: when we mill 150 pounds of a standard tea we will be
left with only 120 pounds of usable material. The remaining 30 pounds of material will be lost
or will be a powder that is not suitable for making tea bags.

Though Monterey Bay Spice Company will take on your milling request, we find that in most
cases it is more cost effective to try and acquire the correct size of tea for your job.
Monterey Bay Spice Company offers many herbs, teas and spices that are already
in tea bag cut size.

blending

If your tea requires blending of various
herbs,
spices or
oil flavorings we can
do this too.

The charge for blending is $0.55 per pound with a minimum blend size of
150 pounds.

organic tea & botanicals

If your tea line is certified organic there will be a process that we need to follow
before we can begin production.

We will require you to provide us with an organic certification paper for each tea that you want us to package.

If you are buying your tea from another company they will be able to provide you with these
documents.

We will also need copies of your organic labeling.

These items will
need to be submitted to our certifying body for review and approval. This
process can take 2-3 weeks.

We will charge you $200 for the first certified
organic item (label) and $20.00 for each one after that provided they are
submitted as a group and we can do the process as one package.

For example if
you have five different teas the charge will be 1 X $200 + 4 X $20 for a total
charge of $280.00. This is a one time setup fee and will not be charged on
future orders. If however six months later you decide to add an new tea you will
be charged the $200 for this addition and not the $20. So plan ahead and certify
all of your teas at the same time if possible.

Packaging

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

Our in house tea tags are white and blank.

custom printed tea tags

Custom colors and logos on tea tags will have to be manufactured at another facility. Monterey Bay Spice Co does
not have a custom tea tag printing service. We can however, attach your custom tea tags to our tea bags for your project.
It will be the customer’s responsibility to provide Monterey Bay Spice Co with the tags that are needed
for the tea bags.

potential resource & estimated pricing
We can direct you to a manufacturing company if you need to print custom tags.
Generally the minimum purchase for custom tea tags will be
around one million tags. The cost for the tags will be approximately $2.00 -
$3.00 per thousand tags depending on how many colors you use. Expect your first
order of custom tea tags to cost around $2,000 - $3,000.

Please note that Monterey Bay Spice Company is not directly affiliated with
any custom tea tag manufacturing company and can not guarantee quality of service or pricing.

Our in house overwrap (also called film) is clear plastic.

custom printed overwrap/film

Custom printed overwrap/film will have to be manufactured at another facility. Monterey Bay Spice Co does
not have a custom overwrap printing service. We can however, use your custom made overwrap for your overwrap tea bag project.
It will be the customer’s responsibility to provide Monterey Bay Spice Co with the film that is needed
for the overwrap.

potential resource & estimated pricing
If you do not have a source to acquire film we can direct you to
Label Technology. The film will be expensive. Expect to pay $3,000 -
$5,000 for a small run of film. A small run of film will be enough to produce
100,000 - 200,000 thousand tea bags. We have not found any company who will make less
than 100,000 individual overwraps.

Please note that Monterey Bay Spice Company is not directly affiliated with
any custom overwrap printing company and can not guarantee quality of service or pricing.

We do not carry any generic tea cartons.

custom printed tea cartons

Custom tea cartons (retail-style) will have to manufactured at another facility. Monterey Bay Spice Company
does not have a custom tea carton printing service. We can however, run your custom printed tea carton through
our machines to box your tea bags. It will be the customer’s responsibility to provide Monterey Bay Spice Co.
with the tea cartons that are needed for the boxing project.

potential resources & estimated pricing
If you are just starting and you need references for carton manufactures we can
give you the names of some good carton manufacturers. The companies making the
tea cartons will likely have a minimum production run of 25,000 cartons.
The cost is around $0.30 per carton depending on how many colors are used. Also
expect an additional one time set up fee for making the cartons to cost $500 -
$1,000. So you should expect to pay around $4,000 – $5,000 dollars just for your new boxes.

Community PrintersCommunity Printers in Santa Cruz is a good Northern California source for producing short to medium run lengths from 2,500 up to 100,000 or more. Printing, diecutting, folding and gluing is all done in house and set up costs are kept to a minimum. They are very good at designing and prototyping new and creative box structures.

Other ResourcesRose City Printing is another resource for printing boxes. Alternatively Box Co-op is a source that can do very small runs (1,250).

Please note that Monterey Bay Spice Company is not directly affiliated with
any custom tea carton printing company and can not guarantee quality of service or pricing.

Private Label

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

private label

In addition to tea packaging we also do private label packaging for spices and
herbs.

We can pack your spices or spice blend in just about any sort of
container you provide. Some of our past jobs have included packing in a simple
transparent 3 mil bag. Other jobs have included packing into 4 ounce spice
bottles, tea tins and large institutional packs.

For most jobs you will need to
supply us with everything we will need to complete your project. Our limited
selection of packaging supplies includes standard clear bags, basic white
labels, four ounce and eight ounce
spice jars, and a
tea tins.

You can either supply us with your herbs and spices or you can purchase them from another
vendor. You will not be required to purchase your ingredients from Monterey Bay
Spice Company.

In general a minimum run size will be 5000 units of a particular
item. As an example if you want to pack 5 different spices we would require that
5000 units of each for a total of 25,000 units be packed. Unfortunately it is
difficult to provide accurate pricing here as there are so many variations on
how something can be packed. Some projects are much more involved than others.
As a real rough estimate expect to pay between $0.40 to $0.80 per each unit for
the packaging labor only (does not include any of the materials).

FAQs

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

how long does an average co-packing order take?

Please plan ahead and allow 2 weeks for us to complete your order. Two weeks is
a rough estimate. Sometimes we are able to finish it sooner and other times it
takes a little longer.

are you registered with the USDA?

Yes, Monterey Bay Spice Company is Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI), and registered with the USDA.
We will provide a copy of certification papers upon your request.

what type of labels are used by Monterey Bay Spice Company?

The only labels we supply are standard white rectangular labels. We can
print simple black text as well as bar codes but that is about as far as
it goes with our label capabilities. If you require a specific label for
your project you will need to supply us with this. We do not have the
capability of making custom labels.

can you make pyramid tea bags?

At this time we cannot make pyramid style tea bags.

Forms

@ Monterey Bay Spice Co.

If after reading this page you would like Monterey Bay Spice Company to proceed
with the production of your project we will need you to fill out our 'packaging
questionnaire'. This form will help us understand the specific details of your
tea packaging project. When the form is complete it can be faxed (831-722-3405)
or emailed to [email protected]